Space Marines are the poster children of 40k and because of that, their army is the most expansive. With well over 60 plus units to choose from picking the best is a challenge, one that this guide aims to solve with the top ten best Space Marine units.
10. Land Raider Redeemer
The first Space Marine unit on this list is a transport? Yes, the Land Raider Redeemer is a powerful transport because it can’t get shot off the board at turn one. Having 12 toughness makes the Redeemer difficult to wound if you don’t have lascannons available and the ability to carry 14 marines who can disembark and charge after the Redeemer has made its 12-inch movement is scary. Add its powerful flamers giving the Redeemer an amazing overwatch and you can see why the Redeemer is here.
Pick the Redeemer if:
- You want a durable transport for your melee marines.
- You want a unit that can do secondary actions and not die.
- You want a unit with some strong overwatch presence with the Redeemer’s flamers.
9. Infiltrator Squad
These sneaky marines excel at protecting the home objective and screening out deep strikes. While their marksman bolt carbines aren’t amazing the omni-scramblers ability makes up for it by denying all deep strikes within 12 inches from the unit. This means that opponents will have a hard time setting up strong deep strikers and will make them think twice from a home objective steal or deep strike charge.
Pick the Infiltrator Squad if:
- You want a cheap backfield objective holder that can’t get deep-striked easily.
- You want some anti-deep strike support for mid-field units.
- You want to shut down melee deep strike units and force your opponents to use stratagems like rapid ingress more often.
8. Vindicator
This tank has the simple goal of blowing up whatever is in front of it whether that be other tanks or heavy infantry with its powerful demolisher cannon. Being strength 14 and a blast weapon the demolisher cannon can wound anything in the game of 3s and can counter melee units who seek to stop the demolisher cannon from firing in melee with its ability that just says it can. The Vindicator also heavily benefits from the Ironstorm Spearhead detachment and techmarines which can keep this destructive tank alive and deadly.
Pick the Vindicator if:
- You want a tank that can deal with armor and infantry with the demolisher cannon.
- You want a tank that can be a consistent problem for your opponent.
- You want a tank that can’t get stopped by melee.
7. Hellblaster Squad
The marines with a shorter life expectancy than guardsmen the Hellblasters are a strong anti-infantry option for when bolters aren’t enough. At the very least for 5 Hellblasters you are getting 10 shots of strength 7 AP -2 damage 1 if you aren’t supercharging their shots which you will be doing because of their ability to shoot on death on a 3-up which works even when they fail a hazardous test.
On average this gets at least another 2-4 shots that can take chunks out of even custodians and if that target is the oath of moment target consider that enemy unit wiped off the board.
Pick the Hellblaster Squad if:
- You want a unit with all-around good guns with good range and assault.
- You want a good shooting-focused infantry unit that can wipe out tough enemy infantry.
- You want some good AP weapons against opponents with good armor saves.
6. Inceptor Squad
The jumpack-wielding cousins of the Hellblasters, the Inceptor Squad trades the boots on the ground fire after death power of the Hellblasters for a tanky toughness 6, 3-wound squad of 3 that can deep strike within 3 inches of most enemies. This makes them one of the most annoying units in the game with their ability to back-cap any objective or flank any unit that didn’t plan for them.
Add their 18-inch plasma exterminators which are even stronger than the Hellblaster variant and you have a unit that can steal any objective from under your opponent’s nose, finish off a weak unit, and have a surprising amount of staying power.
Pick the Inceptor Squad if:
- You want to easily capture your opponent's home objective.
- You don’t want to care about deep strike limitations.
- You just want an annoying unit that can counter your opponent's anti-deep strike screening.
5. Eradicator Squad
The melta units that make sister players green with envy, the Eradicators excel at taking out vehicles and monsters. With the same toughness as the Inceptors with around half the cost, Eradicators get to re-roll hit rolls, wound rolls, and damage rolls if they target vehicles or monsters.
That re-roll wound rolls is especially good since it fixes the melta’s disappointing 9 strength which wounds most vehicles on a 5-up. And for only 95 points for three, you can put them in a transport or easily hide them in cover and wait to pop a high-cost target.
Pick the Eradicator Squad if:
- You want some cheap tank hunters that can re-roll everything.
- You want a unit that can put pressure on high-toughness units.
- You want a good melta unit that can survive normal infantry shooting.
4. Techmarine
Our first character on this list, the Techmarine is the go-to unit for vehicle support. Character units are powerful units with more wounds and better saves than normal units with the ability to attach to normal units and give them unique buffs.
The Techmarine's ability to heal D3 wounds to a vehicle and add 1 to that vehicle’s hit roll makes tanks like the Vindicator an even bigger threat on the board. Add the fact that being next to a vehicle gives the Techmarine lone operative to all attacks that aren’t within 3 inches of him and he gets really difficult to kill.
Being a character also means that the Techmarine can take enhancements like the Target Augury Web which gives a vehicle he’s next to lethal hits or the Adept of the Omnissiah which can change the damage a vehicle takes to 0 once a round. All of these things add up to make a support unit that can make the Space Marine’s already strong tanks game-changing threats.
Pick the Techmarine if:
- You want a good vehicle support character.
- You want to make a vehicle-focused army.
3. Scout Squad
The Scout Squad are good at anything that isn’t fighting. While they aren’t awful at combat, combat isn’t why you take the Scout Squad. The Scout Squad are good at objective control and doing secondary missions.
With the ability to infiltrate and go back into strategic reserves, you can easily rack up victory points if you know how to use them and while taking out enemy units are important, victory points are how you win games, and nothing in the Space Marine army comes close to the amount of victory points Scout Squads can get you.
Pick the Scout Squad if:
- You want to gain a lot of victory points.
- You want to score secondary missions easily.
- You want to capture objectives in no man’s land easily.
2. Apothecary Biologis
Despite being a doctor the Apothecary Biologis only deals in death with the ability to give units he’s paired up with lethal hits on all weapons. Put him with Eradicators and have them roll a 6 to hit and skip the melta’s 5-up wound roll or put him with Aggressors and take advantage of the added objective control from destroying a unit in melee.
The cherry on top with this character is the fact that a Captain or Chapter Master can also join the same unit adding even more options for a strong centerpiece unit that your foes will have to worry about.
Pick the Apothecary Biologis if:
- You want to help Gravis units hit harder.
- You want to make a tanky kill squad with Gravis units.
- You want to combo a Captain or Chapter Master with someone.
1. Marneus Calgar
The fist of Ultramar himself Marneus Calgar gives so many buffs he earns his point cost back and then some by round 2. Just by him being on the board he gives you a command point every time it's your command phase which lets you be a lot more liberal with stratagems. This is good on its own but add the ability to give his unit advance, fall back, shoot, and charge and he can make otherwise slow units deadly.
And remembering that he is a Chapter Master means that the Apothecary Biologis can join his units and add lethal hits to the buffs the unit gets. Overall you can’t go wrong with adding Calgar to your Space Marine army he just adds so much that he is a must-pick for the Emperor’s Angels.
Pick Marneus Calgar if:
- You want to buff one unit to the max.
- You want easy command point generation.
- You want a centerpiece model to build your army around.
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